Here it is, unveiled Thursday night: The poster for Miami Book Fair International, designed by graphic artist Art Spiegelman, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus, who is one of the 260-plus authors scheduled to appear at the fair.
The fair, which runs Nov. 9-16, plans a special emphasis on comics and graphic novels this year. Also new: a few "Evenings with . . . " programs will take place at Gusman. All "Evenings with. . . " programs require a ticket, as do - brace yourself - all events in the Chapman Conference Center. Yes, that includes the events on Nov. 15-16, the weekend of the street fair. You'll need a ticket to get in to every event, and to stay in your seat for the next author you'll need a ticket for that, too. Otherwise book fair volunteers will clear you out.
Tickets can be downloaded for free at www.miamibookfair.com
Here's the schedule for the "Evenings with..." program:
Nov. 9: Commentators Tavis Smiley and Cornel West, 7:30 p.m., Gusman Center for the Performing Arts.
Nov. 10: David Sheff (Beautiful Boy), 8 p.m., Chapman Conference Center, Wolfson Campus.
Nov. 11: Physicist Brian Greene, 8 p.m., Chapman.
Nov. 12: Ishmael Beah (A Long Way Gone), 8 p.m. Chapman.
Nov. 13: Chefs Mario Batali and Anthony Bourdain, 6 p.m., Gore Vidal, 8 p.m., Gusman
Nov. 14: "Cities of Refuge'' with Russell Banks and Derek Walcott, 6 p.m.; poets Billy
Collins and Robert Haas, 8 p.m., Gusman.
For more information, call 305-237-3258.
I find this poster a little bit...terrifying. OK, a lot terrifying. Is the clown going to eat the rabbit? Is the little man on his head telling him to do bad things? What is going ON?
Posted by: Hannah | September 19, 2008 at 11:18 AM
The rabbit sure looks like he's afraid he's going to be dinner. It causes me a bit of anxiety too. Maybe that's the point: read or this clown thing is going to EAT YOU.
Posted by: Connie | September 19, 2008 at 12:07 PM
This poster looks like something from a bad (a really bad) Cartoon Network show. UGH. Usually they are such nice posters. BUT this one is noticable...I guess...in a "Charles-Manson-is-at-the-dinner-party" sort of way...
Posted by: patrick | September 19, 2008 at 01:19 PM
MBFI web site says tickets will not be available until October. Good luck.
Posted by: JPatton | September 19, 2008 at 01:26 PM
The rabbit is a little "kid." How funny to frighten a little kid with his shovel and pail!! Not. What does this have to do with books? At all? Yes, I realize there are books flying around in the air, but still. I much prefer the previous poster of the woman with fat thighs reading. I wonder why.....
Posted by: Amy | September 19, 2008 at 02:00 PM
The tickets will probably go up at the website once a weekend schedule is settled...right now only the Evenings are set.
I have to say I'm not crazy about the idea of tickets in the first place. I don't think it does anything but confuse people, and last year, it actually kept people away because they thought they couldn't get in to certain events. And I can't imagine how the weekends are going to go. People who have gone for years will expect to just show up, and when they can't get in, their ire will rain down upon the poor fair volunteers. The ticket process needlessly complicates things.
Posted by: Connie | September 19, 2008 at 02:07 PM
Some of the books pictured on this poster are going to be banned as soon as I am veep.
Posted by: Sarah Palin | September 19, 2008 at 03:05 PM
Gov. Palin, you must really hate this poster, as that clown thing is a giant phallic symbol.
Posted by: can't fight this feeling anymore | September 19, 2008 at 03:18 PM
Wow, man.
Posted by: Richard Pachter | September 19, 2008 at 05:27 PM
Wait, does this mean they are showing cartoons at the Book Fair? Because I love cartoons.
BTW, Connie, CHILD 44 is the best set-in-communist-Russia thriller I have ever read. Thanks for the tip (and free copy)!
Posted by: Rene Rodriguez | September 22, 2008 at 12:28 PM
I hope the Book Fair doesn't order too many t-shirts and mugs, or for that matter, posters. Because who would want to to look at this poster more than once??
I can't make it to the book fair this year, but my Miami friends are officially excused from buying me *any* memorabilia with that horrid graphic.
P.S. Maybe it's a joke, to see how gullible we are. The real poster will be revealed soon. Right? Right?
Posted by: SilviaC | September 23, 2008 at 01:09 AM
Why is a creepy clown terrorizing a poor scared lil' wabbit? And what does this have to say about the joys of reading? If this image is meant to symbolize the pleasures of reading and encourage us to do so, I think I'll become one of the rest of the dummies in this country who DOESN'T read!
Posted by: HoCo | September 23, 2008 at 02:14 PM